Anyone feel like reading a book?

[Mike]

I just finished reading a spectacular novel: This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. Okay, novella really. It's just 200 pages, and a quick enough read.

It is a tale of two trans-human warriors from the far future on opposite sides of a great time war that spans thousands of alternate worlds across the vastness of space over millennia of conflict. And I cared more about these characters than any I've read for many years.

And when I got to the end, the Kindle version had discussion questions for the book, which I thought was lovely and thought-provoking. So if anyone would like to give it a shot, I'll start cranking out those questions and we'll have fun talking.

[Kyle]

I'm in. Give me a week to read through it.

[Stan]

I've liked the short stories I've read by El-Mohtar. I'll try to get it and read it soon.

[Mike]

[Eliahad]

Just got it last night! It's harder to read when you're tired, but I like it so far!

[Stan]

Got it a couple days ago. 20 pages in. Hopefully, I'll have time this weekend. Once work gets out of the way, I can probably finish in a couple of days.

[Mike]

Sweet! I'll start the spoiler portion of the thread this weekend, and people get to it when they get to it.

[Kyle]

I’m a little past half way. Thought I wouldn’t like it for the first 10%. Now I love it.

[Mike]

By the way, I've now read more by both of these authors, and while I really like both of them, El-Mohtar is the one that gave Time War its heart, while Gladstone provided the cool science. I will continue to seek works by both, but El-Mohtar is the author I am more excited about.

[Stan]

Finished it. loved it.

I thought the first few pages were trying too hard or something - harder to read. Then it got much smoother.
I think it was smart to go novella length. Enough to build a story but, if it was much longer, the format might have gotten tiresome.

a bit spoilerly:

[Kyle]

Finished it this morning and I also loved it. Like Stan, for the first part of it I was nonplussed, thinking, "Okay, I see the formula you're doing here. That's clever. You're not going to be able to tell a story this way, though." And then I realized it was a love story and I got lost in it. The tech and shifting landscapes was cool, but I didn't really care about that. It was a slow blossoming of a lovely relationship that was developed and culminated perfectly. This is one of those rare stories that I look at as a puzzle box- it seems complicated and wonderful, but in the end you're surprised by the simplicity and beauty of the design. I really, really liked this book.

Also agree that the length was perfect.

[Mike]

Spoiler Warning: everything from here on is probably a spoiler.

[Mike]

I got totally caught up in the love story. I was amazed that woven through this highly technical and way-out transhuman sci-fi tale were a pair of protagonists that I cared for deeply. If you can find Amal El-Mohtar's short story Seasons of Glass and Iron, read it. It's won a bunch of awards--deservedly so--and it is a fairy tale, but you can see the DNA of Time War underpinning the tale. It's beautiful.

[Mike]

And if anyone wants to try this, here are the questions from the back of the book. Use them or not as you will:

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. As Red and Blue are executing their respective orders, they have their first exchange. Describe the warriors introduced in these first few opening challenges. Is one more dedicated to their cause than the other?

2. Red and Blue are sworn enemies in a timeless war and while they joke about poison, “PS. The Keyboard’s coated with slow-acting contact poison. You’ll be dead in an hour,” they never use it. Why have they never tried to kill each other? Why do they continue to open the letters? Is it trust, or something else?

3. “Do I have you still . . . You could leave me for five years, you could return never—and I have to write the rest of this not knowing.” There are physical limitations to the way Red and Blue choose to communicate. With the most advanced technology at their fingertips, why have they chosen to leave their messages in these unique media?

4. Blue writes a lot about Atlantis in one of her early letters. Discuss why this is a myth the authors choose to highlight and why Atlantis, of all places, recurs with the same result in every strand? Do you accept Red’s explanation?

5. There are many subtle pop-culture references made as Red and Blue move through time. Which references did you pick up on? Which were your favorites?

6. Red quotes “the prophets” several times. Who do you think the prophets are for warriors out of time? Based on the quotes she recites, do you believe they are considered prophets here in the 21st century?

7. Blue speaks very little about the opposition except to say, “The thought of your disembodied network repulses me, but I look at you, Red, and see much of myself: a desire to be apart, sometimes, to understand who I am without the rest.” What do we know of Blue and Red’s organizations? Would you consider them communities? What are the differences between the two?

8. The seeker appears at the end of every chapter, chasing letters and collecting evidence. Who is the seeker? What is their purpose? What is their role in this time war?

9. Discuss how Red and Blue each come to realize they are in love. What made it apparent to you? Does it happen more easily for one than the other?

10. There is little proof that the shadow Red senses is real. What proof does she offer? Sometimes even she does not completely believe her theory. What makes you believe or doubt her?

11. Red and Blue each interact with their leaders once through the book. What are the notable differences between the Commandant and Garden? Who would you rather work for?

12. Red’s final letter to Blue is extremely complex. Discuss its many layers and her decision to write a letter within the poison. What would you write if you were in her position?

13. Why does Blue open Red’s poison letter after Red warns her that it is a trap? Describe the tone of her dying letter. Is it a betrayal?

14. Red makes a very risky move that will have dire consequences if things don’t align perfectly. How many ways could her plan go wrong? Discuss Red’s mind-set before, during and at the end of this impossible mission.

[Stan]

3. I think, in part, they are showing off their cleverness - and esteem for the other as only someone who is clever would be able to read. But it's also a reaction to constant monitoring - an attempt to get out from under total oversight in a way not likely to be detected. Also to make the book more interesting.

4. Atlantis is always super advanced. But it's super elitist, not sharing its advances until it's destroyed. A tiny enclave is always going to be unstable.

8. I confess I totally mis-guessed the seeker's identity. I thought it would be a third power who would recruit them. But a future Red was cool - the idea that she was going through efforts to collect every last bit of Blue to become more like Blue.